On the 6th-8th May 2005 we transformed a children's daycare room in a Methodist church in rural Devon, into a room for 48 hours of continual prayer.
 
Basing the room on the Lord's Prayer, we encouraged people to embrace the meaning of each line of this prayer and set up different stations around the room.  There were opportunities for prayers of: Praise; Adoration (of the name of God and who He is to us); Prayers for the Kingdom of God (believers, then prayers for the unsaved) - this was represented by a fishing net, and names on paper fish could be thrown into the net to symbolise Matthew   ..... "I will make you fishers of men."; and prayers for the world;

 

There was also thanks for God's provision, and also prayers for those around the world not as fortunate as we are.	"I came thinking it was duty; I left knowing it was joy."

People also offered up prayers of confession; of deliverance; and for this to be the start of many getting on their knees and praying for this town and our world.
 
The weekend was organised by Connect, which is a Christian schoolswork project in Mid-Devon (www.connect-devon.com).  It operates in Crediton, Okehampton and Chulmleigh and we are supported by local churches to go into the schools with the intention of demonstrating Christ's love for young people, and for the staff, and to make the church more accessible to the school.  We do this through assemblies, lessons, and being around the school at break and lunchtimes.  We run a drop in for young people and also support all the local youth clubs.
 
The weekend brought in young people from the schools we work in as we held a youth event on the Friday evening.  It involved young people from many of the local churches and also a couple of boys who don't belong to a church and had never thought about prayer before.  It also brought together local churches and there was a real sense of unity in the town. 
 
There was a feeling as we were planning this weekend, that people were signing up just to be supportive, and we had to be quite persuasive to get some to join in.  However, God was completely in control and He met with us in such an incredible way through that prayer room.  Many people's eyes were opened to the benefits of continual prayer, and to coming into the same place to do it.
 
I'll leave you with a couple of comments that were left in the room:
 
"I came to collect my son, I leave feeling blessed."
"I came thinking it was duty; I left knowing it was joy."

We're hoping many more in the area will catch the vision of 24-7 prayer, and there has already been another 24-7 event planned in a nearby village